The popularity of barbecue grills and outdoor cooking devices has increased tremendously over the last twenty-five years. Initially, charcoal barbecue grills having combustible solid fuel were utilized to cook food via radiant and convective heat. Subsequently, gas barbecue grills which employ a gas burner have been utilized. The gas barbecue grills generally cook the food via radiant and convective heat. Often, the food to be cooked in both charcoal and gas grills is situated on a grid-like cooking grate having numerous elongated bars and openings. Accordingly, to cook food in such barbecue grills, the radiant and convective heat energy dispelled from either the charcoal or gas burners passes through the cooking grate and is directed at the food.
Furthermore, such conventional gas grills generally include a burner assembly adjacent the lower portion of a firebox with a cooking grid supported along the upper edge thereof. Lava rock or some other ancillary conductive member is generally located between the cooking grid and the burner assembly. The lava rock operates as a form of a conductive member which absorbs the convective heat from the burning gas, and which subsequently provides a generally uniform convective heat-emitting means for the food being cooked on the cooking grate. Unfortunately, grease and other combustible particles build up on the lava rock and cause undesirable flare ups and hot spots within the grilling cavity. Additionally, the lava rocks have to be replaced periodically due to degradation
Accordingly, the Assignee of the present invention previously developed a gas grill which eliminated the need for lava rock. Such grills are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,677,964; 5,765,469; and, 5,934,183. The gas grills disclosed therein have revolutionized the gas grill industry by eliminating the need for the lava rock. The gas grills disclosed in the above-noted patents utilize sear bars which are positioned between the cooking grid and the gas burners to vaporize any greases that emanate from the food being cooked. Like the lava rock, the sear bars operate as a remote conductive member between the gas burner and the cooking grate. The conductive sear bars emit convective energy which is partially directed at the food on the cooking grate to cook the food.
Even though the revolutionary gas grills identified above utilize a different type of fuel and a different type of conductive member, these grills as well as the charcoal grills typically cook substantially through convection-type cooking based on convective energy being emitted from the conductive member or the energy source (i.e., the charcoal or the gas burner). Convection is the transfer of energy by means of the bulk motion of material containing a different amount of energy-per-volume than its surroundings. As such, these grills heat the air within the grill's cooking chamber in order to cook the food.
Additionally, conventional cooking grates utilized in the above-type barbecue grills typically include a plurality of elongated members, openings, and cross members that define the cooking grid or cooking grate for the food. An example of the conventional grate is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,452 to Schlosser et al. There, the grate is formed from a plurality of elongated rods with openings therebetween. The rods are located within a perimeter defined by a circular ring. Another example of the conventional grate is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,343 to Rigney et al. There, the grate has a generally rectangular shape with numerous openings and elongated structures. Conventional grates, however, suffer from an inability to direct or control the flow of grease and byproducts generated while cooking food on the grate. Instead, conventional grates merely allow grease and byproducts to pass through the various openings in a random manner without directing such passage. Furthermore, as explained above, conventional grates suffer from the inability to effectively conduct heat to the food. As a result, conventional grates cannot direct the flow of grease and byproducts away from hot burner assemblies during operation of the grill. In addition, conventional grates cannot direct the flow of grease and byproducts to an intended location for drainage or removal from the grill. Consequently, conventional grates permit the accumulation of grease and byproducts which negatively affects the performance and operation of the barbecue grill. Finally, because conventional grates do not provide for sufficiently conducting heat, they merely allow for the passage of radiant and convective heat energy to pass from the heat source to the food, as opposed to providing conductive energy via the grate to cook the food.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cooking grate that operates as a conductive member and which provides conductive energy to cook the food.